TERRIBLE

D.C. Pride Parade Ends in Panicked Stampede After Reports of Gunfire

Authorities say there was no active shooter but some people were injured amid the chaos of people fleeing when they thought shots had been fired.

The 2019 Pride Parade in Washington, D.C., erupted in panic late Saturday after reports of gunfire sparked a stampede as people fled to take cover. Crowds of demonstrators rushed to nearby stores to hide from what they believed to be an active shooter, and video from the scene showed dozens, if not hundreds, of people racing through the streets.

But police said there was no active shooter and nobody was injured by any gunfire. The panic appeared to stem from a person showing a weapon in an “altercation” on Dupont Circle, a police officer at the scene told The Daily Beast. The person with the weapon was apprehended, the police officer said, and police tweeted out that the “threat has been contained.”

Commander Guillermo Rivero of the Metro Police Department's Special Operations Division said at a briefing after the incident that investigators found no evidence that shots were fired at the scene, but a male suspect was found to be in possession of a handgun. Investigators are still reviewing footage from the scene to determine what the loud bangs were that several witnesses described as gunshots, he said.

Rivero said several people were treated for minor injuries sustained during the rush to flee the area.

No details were immediately available on how many people were injured in the stampede. An investigation into the incident and what exactly caused all the chaos is underway.

-- Erin Banco contributed reporting

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